State Wants to Reduce Greehouse Gas Emissions

The state wants to build a $50 million laboratory in Malta to develop and test alternative fuels and other technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles.

Gov. David Paterson announced the lab in a Dec. 29 letter to president-elect Barack Obama, requesting billions of dollars in federal infrastructure investments for the state. Paterson said the 80,000-square-foot lab could open within two years if the federal government gives the state $38 million to help build it.

The two-story lab would be built and operated by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Thirty workers would staff the facility, many of whom already work for the state.
The lab would be located in the Saratoga Technology + Energy Park in Malta, 10 miles south of Saratoga Springs. The New York State Energy and Research Development Authority operates the tech park.

In his letter to Obama, Paterson said the lab is a key way “to keep the United States competitive in the field of energy research and development.”

The facility will test light- and heavy-duty vehicles and develop technology to retrofit older vehicles to cut down on their pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Scientists at the lab will research a variety of fuels, such as hydrogen fuel cells.
Proponents say the lab will benefit the area’s education sector and the area’s energy and transportation sectors.

For instance, students at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy will receive training at the facility to “help ensure that the technicians entering the work force are equipped to address the very latest in motor vehicle technologies,” said Lori Severino, spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

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